Cadmium zinc telluride

Cadmium zinc telluride, chem. Cd ( x -1) ZnxTe, trade name CZT, is an alloy of the two materials cadmium zinc telluride and. It is a direct semiconductor material which as a detector of gamma radiation which is produced, inter alia, to radioactive processes, and is used for X-ray radiation. Other applications are in the field of terahertz radiation.

Radiation detectors convert X-rays or gamma rays into electrons, which can be evaluated by a subsequent electrical signal processing. CZT has the advantage of working at room temperature, in contrast to comparable materials in this application, such as germanium. Germanium radiation detector must be cooled with liquid nitrogen for this application. CZT can be easily placed as a sensor depending on the application in different shapes and geometries.

Depending on the mixing ratio of the two basic substances of the band gap from 1.4 eV to 2.2 eV. The commercial alloy Cd0, 9Zn0, 1TE, as it is used in Gammstrahlungsdetektoren, for example, has a band gap of 1.572 eV.

For use in the field of the terahertz radiation CZT has a high electro-optic coefficient, that is, it can affect the refractive index of the material by an external electric field, also known as photorefractive effect. Furthermore CZT is almost transparent in the infrared range, which allows applications as an optical modulator.